Intermittent rain kept the fields and forests of Double K Tree Farms in Bamberg County at a moderate temperature when 28 teachers participating in a forestry tour visited on June 29.

The tour was conducted in association with the Teaching Sustainable Forestry in Environmental Education Workshop.

During the four-day tour, the teachers visited Collum Lumber Products in Allendale, Kronotec wood flooring manufacturing plant at the S.C. Advanced Technology Park in Hilda and the Webb Wildlife Center in Hampton County as well as Double K Tree Farms in Denmark.

By the end of the tour on Friday, the group had visited forests and forestry production spots all over South Carolina.

The teachers toured public, private and industrial forests; discussed current forest issues and forest management practices with professionals in the industry; and visited wood products production facilities (furniture, lumber mills, paper mills and other wood products manufacturing facilities).

In short, the teachers experienced how forests are grown, harvested, made into useful products and regenerated into new forest for future generations. The teachers were provided with suggestions on incorporating forestry topics into regular classroom instruction, along with informational pamphlets and lesson plans.

The purpose of the tour is to provide an unbiased look into the impact forests have on the state's environment, economy and quality of life, as well as familiarize teachers with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, a land stewardship program practiced by the forest industry and landowners.

By attending an additional couple of days of classes and completing some assignments, teachers can also earn college credit toward renewal of their teaching credentials.

"This is the best workshop I've ever participated in," Randy Fogle, a St. Mathews eighth-grade English teacher, said.

Johney Haralson of Denmark, the S.C. Tree Farmer of the Year, spoke to the tour group about his tree farm management philosophy and goals. He emphasized the importance of controlled burning as a tool in controlling undergrowth of undesirable weeds, shrubs and trees in planted pine forests.

Teri Gray, second-grade Orangeburg Prep teacher, was excited about using what she learned on the tour with her classes this fall.

"We have an outdoor classroom. I'll be able to incorporate some of the forestry/conservation information as well as information about products that come from trees in my lesson plans," Gray said.

Forest management, forest product production and wildlife conservation are the main topics covered by the tour.

Anderson Elementary School Science Specialist Jane Ellenberg anticipates using information from the Forestry Tour as part of the hands-on lessons she uses with her young students.

"We teach all 350 students in our school each week with hands-on lessons. Often our Carolina Fence Garden is our classroom," she said.

Algebra teacher Steve Dunn said, "Using the ratio relationship of the student's height and shadow to the height and shadow of a tree, we can teach our students to calculate the actual height of a tree. This should make learning to use math concepts exciting."

As part of the classroom experience required for recertification credit, teachers were introduced to Project Learning Tree materials. Project Learning Tree is an award-winning international environmental education program designed for teachers and informal educators who work with students from pre-kindergarten through high school.

Over a Lowcountry lunch of fried quail, fried fish, grits and sliced fresh tomatoes, the teachers compared notes and agreed that participation in the 2005 Forestry Tour was a highlight of their summer. All said they anticipate enticing students to pay better attention and learn more from lessons using forestry topics to apply classroom principles to real life projects.

Anyone interested in more information about the forestry tours can contact Jerry Shrum, S.C. Project Learning Tree coordinator, PO Box 21707, Columbia, SC 29221, call 803-896-8892 or fax 803-896-8896. The e-mail address isjshrum@forestry.state.sc.us.

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